Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The tells several stories of criminal Los Angeles. The film's title refers to the pulp magazines and hardboiled crime novels popular during the mid-20th century, known for their graphic violence and punchy dialogue. Pulp Fiction has been widely regarded as Tarantino's masterpiece, with particular praise for its screenwriting. The self-reflexivity, unconventional structure, and extensive homage and pastiche have led critics to describe it as a touchstone of postmodern film. Summary Hitmen Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega arrive at an apartment to retrieve a briefcase for their boss, gangster Marsellus Wallace, from an associate, Brett. After Vincent checks the contents of the briefcase, Jules shoots one of Brett's associates, then declaims a passage from the Bible before he and Vincent kill Brett for trying to double-cross Marsellus. They take the briefcase to Marsellus, but have to wait while he bribes champion boxer Butch Coolidge to take a dive in his upcoming match. The next day, Vincent purchases heroin from his drug dealer, Lance. He shoots up, then drives to meet Marsellus's wife Mia, whom he had agreed to escort while Marsellus was out of town. They eat at a 1950s-themed restaurant and participate in a twist contest, then return home with the trophy. While Vincent is in the bathroom, Mia finds his heroin, mistakes it for cocaine, snorts it, and overdoses. Vincent rushes her to Lance's house, where they revive her with an adrenaline shot to her heart. Butch double-crosses Marsellus and wins the bout, accidentally killing his opponent. At the motel where he and his girlfriend Fabienne are lying low and preparing to flee, Butch discovers she has forgotten to pack his father's gold watch, a beloved heirloom, and flies into a rage. Returning to his apartment to retrieve the watch, he notices a gun on the kitchen counter and hears the toilet flush. Vincent exits the bathroom and Butch shoots him dead. As Butch waits at a traffic light in his car, Marsellus spots him by chance and chases him into a pawnshop. The owner, Maynard, captures them at gunpoint and ties them up in the basement. Maynard is joined by Zed, a security guard; they take Marsellus to another room to rape him, leaving the "gimp", a silent figure in a bondage suit, to watch Butch. Butch breaks loose and knocks out the gimp. He is about to flee but decides to save Marsellus, returning with a katana from the pawnshop. He kills Maynard; Marsellus retrieves Maynard's shotgun and shoots Zed. Marsellus informs Butch that they are even, as long as he tells no one about the rape and departs Los Angeles forever. Butch picks up Fabienne on Zed's motorcycle. Earlier, after Vincent and Jules have executed Brett in his apartment, another man bursts out of the bathroom and shoots at them wildly, missing every time; Jules and Vincent kill him. Jules professes their survival was a miracle, which Vincent disputes. As Jules drives, Vincent accidentally shoots Brett's associate Marvin in the head. They hide the car at the home of Jules' friend Jimmie, who demands they deal with the problem before his wife comes home. Marsellus sends his cleaner, Winston Wolfe, who directs Jules and Vincent to clean the car, hide the body in the trunk, dispose of their bloody clothes, and take the car to a junk yard. At a diner, Jules tells Vincent that he plans to retire from his life of crime, convinced that their "miraculous" survival at the apartment was a sign. While Vincent is in the bathroom, a couple dubbed "Pumpkin" and "Honey Bunny" hold up the restaurant. Jules overpowers Pumpkin and holds him at gunpoint; Honey Bunny becomes hysterical and trains her gun on him. Vincent returns with his gun aimed at her, creating a Mexican standoff. Jules recites the biblical passage, expresses ambivalence about his life of crime, and allows the robbers to take his cash and leave. Jules and Vincent leave the diner with the briefcase. Cast * John Travolta as Vincent Vega * Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winnfield * Uma Thurman as Mia Wallace * Harvey Keitel as Winston Wolfe * Tim Roth as Ringo * Amanda Plummer as Yolanda * Maria de Medeiros as Fabienne * Ving Rhames as Marsellus Wallace * Eric Stoltz as Lance * Rosanna Arquette as Jody * Christopher Walken as Captain Koons * Bruce Willis as Butch Coolidge Trivia * The word "fuck" is used two hundred sixty-five times. * The movie cost $8 million to make, with $5 million going to pay the actors' and actresses' salaries. * The shot of Vincent plunging the syringe into Mia's chest was filmed by having John Travolta pull the needle out, then running the film backwards. * Quentin Tarantino was quoted as saying that Butch is responsible for keying Vincent's car. * Uma Thurman originally turned down the role of Mia. Quentin Tarantino was so desperate to have her as Mia, he ended up reading her the script over the phone, finally convincing her. * Uma Thurman did not actually like the song that was played in the Jack Rabbit Slim's Twist Contest. * Bruce Willis worked on the film for only eighteen days. * Jules' "Bad Mother Fucker" wallet belongs to Quentin Tarantino. * In the opening sequence with Honey Bunny and Pumpkin, Jules can be heard talking about quitting "the life", and Vincent can be seen entering the bathroom. * Harvey Keitel convinced his friend Bruce Willis to take part in the film, knowing that Willis had been a big fan of Reservoir Dogs (1992). * Jules was originally written to have a gigantic afro. * Quentin Tarantino wrote the role of Jules specifically for Samuel L. Jackson, however, it was almost given to Paul Calderon after a great audition. When Jackson heard this, he flew to Los Angeles and auditioned again to secure the role. * Chronologically, the last scene in the movie is Butch and Fabienne riding away on Zed's motorcycle The first sound you can hear in the movie is of the same chopper's engine. * This was one of the first movies to use the Internet for advertising. * The white Honda Civic, which Butch drives when he knocks Marsellus down, is the same car that Jackie Brown drove in Jackie Brown (1997). * Marsellus and Mia never speak to one another on-screen, even though they are husband and wife. * Mickey Rourke passed on the role of Butch Coolidge in order to pursue his boxing career. He also claimed that he didn't understand the script. He later regretted this decision.